Export Command Line Options

Inkscape can be used to convert SVG files to another form.
Right now, the command line can be used to generate
Portable Network Graphic (PNG),
PostScript (PS),
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS),
Portable Document Files (PDF),
Enhanced Metafile Files (EMF-Windows only), and
plain SVG files. More options are available from
within Inkscape using the
Save As or
Export Bitmap dialogs.

The export options can be divided into three classes: those that specify
the output format, those that specify the region to export, and those that
specify properties such as background color in the exported image.

Warning

This section not yet updated for Inkscape v0.92.

Format Options

The output filename must be
given (except for the --print option).

Warning

Transparency is not supported in exports to
PS and EPS files.

-e, --export-png

Export a PNG file.

-P, --export-ps

Export a PS file.

-E, --export-eps

Export an EPS file.

-A, --export-pdf

Export a PDF file.

-l, --export-plain-svg

Export a plain SVG file. A plain
SVG has all the Inkscape-specific
information and the RFD
metadata removed. A program that displays SVG
files should ignore all such information according to the
SVG specification, so this option should
not in principle be necessary.

-p, --print

Outputs PS data that can be used as
input to another program via a pipe (|) or dumped into a file
via >. The parameters
to this option must be quoted properly.

For example, on Linux to send the output to a file, use:

inkscape --print '> test.ps' test.svg

-M, --export-emf

Outputs an EMF (Enhanced Metafile) file.
Only available on Windows.

Warning

This section not yet updated for Inkscape v0.92.

Export Region Options

At the moment, these options only affect bitmap export except
the --export-bbox-page, which applies to
EPS exports.

Note

Most PostScript display programs will only display what is inside
the rectangle defined by the PostScript
BoundingBox parameter (if it is
set). EPS files must contain a
BoundingBox. It is optional for
PS files. By default, Inkscape sets the
BoundingBox to the page area for
PS files and to the drawing bounding box for
EPS files (both at 72 dpi).

-a, --export-area

Specifies the rectangular region that should be exported.
Requires the coordinates of the lower-left corner and the
upper-right corner in the format: x0:y0:x1:y1. (The lower-left
corner of the drawing has coordinates of 0,0.) The units are in
SVG user units.

Example: to export the left half of a 200 by 100 pixel drawing to a PNG:

inkscape --export-area=0:0:100:100 --export-png=test.png test.svg

-C, --export-area-page

The area exported will correspond to the area defined by the page.

-D, --export-area-drawing

The area exported will correspond to the bounding box of all objects
in a drawing, including any that are not on the page. This is
the default for EPS export. Note that --export-area-page
overides --export-area-drawing.

--export-area-snap

The area exported will be increased outward to the nearest
integer value. This option has two effects: (1) If you have aligned
all your objects to a pixel grid (to reduce anti-aliasing
effects) but the export area bounding box is
not aligned to the grid, it will ensure that the exported pixmap will be
aligned to the same grid. (2) It will ensure that the edges of the
drawing will not be clipped.

-i, --export-id

The area exported will be defined by the bounding box of the named
object. The exported drawing will include the parts of any
other objects that fall within this bounding box. The name of a
given object can be found by selecting the object from within
Inkscape and looking at the XML Editor. (Of course, if you do
this, you may as well export using the Export Bitmap dialog.)

-j, --export-id-only

Only the specified object is exported. Must be used with the
--export-id option. See above. Can be used
with --export-area-canvas and
--export-area-page.

Warning

This section not yet updated for Inkscape v0.92.

Export Property Options

The first few options are for bitmap exports, while the last few
are for PS and EPS
export.

-d, --export-dpi

Bitmap Export.
An exported bitmap will be scaled by the ratio of the given
number to the SVG user unit. The default value is 90, which
matches the internal scale used by Inkscape; that is, a value of
90 means that one Inkscape pixel corresponds to one exported
pixel. A value of 72 means that one Inkscapepoint corresponds to one exported pixel.
(See the section called “Inkscape Coordinates”.) This option overrides
the --export-use-hints option.

Vector Export.
This option sets the resolution for rasterizing filters.
The default values is 90 dpi.

-w, --export-width

An exported bitmap will be scaled so that the width is equal to the specified
number of pixels. Overrides --export-dpi.

-h, --export-height

An exported bitmap will be scaled so that the height is equal to the specified
number of pixels. Overrides --export-dpi.

-b, --export-background

Use the specified color for the background of bitmap
export. Any SVG-supported color string may be used (e.g.,
#ffc0cb, rgb(255, 192, 203), or “pink”). See SVG color
keywords for a list of defined colors. If this option
is not used, the color specified by the “pagecolor” attribute
in the section “sodipodi:namedview” of the SVG file will be
used (if it is defined).

-y, --export-background-opacity

Use the specified value for the background transparency or
opacity. Either a number between 0.0 and 1.0 or an integer
from 0 to 255 can be used, where the smaller number in both
cases corresponds to full transparency and the larger number
corresponds to full opacity. Note: 1 is interpreted as full
transparency.

-t, --export-use-hints

If you have previously saved an object to a bitmap image from
within Inkscape (and saved the file afterward), you can use
this option to export the object to a bitmap file with the same
name and resolution. Must be used with the
--export-id option.

-T, --export-text-to-path

The text objects should be converted to paths prior to export
to a PS or EPS
export. Then ensures that the text will be rendered properly
regardless of which fonts are installed on a computer that
displays or a printer that prints the resulting file.